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Rookie Andre Ellington Impressing the Arizona Cardinals

October 8th, 2013 at 5:05 AM By Steve Smith

For a sixth round draft pick, Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is starting to make quite an impression.

The University of Clemson product is seeing more and more playing time for the Red Birds and he is starting to make an impact for the 3-2 Cardinals. Ellington participated in 30 snaps for Arizona in its 22-6 victory over Carolina Sunday and paced the Cardinals with 52 yards on the ground on just seven carries.

Ellington added four receptions for 31 yards and is impressing teammates with his burst and explosive ability. Considering that Ellington played in just eight snaps in the season opener against St. Louis, that is very fast progress.

Rashard Mendenhall is still the starter but Ellington is making his name known. Although he is not getting the amount of carries that he did in college, he is still making a solid contribution. That's fine with him.

“I have done it in college where I had to carry the load,” Ellington told azcardinals.com. “Maybe I’m not getting the carries like I did, but coach is getting me in space and getting me the ball, and that’s something I like.”

There is a lot to like about Ellington. He caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer in a win over Detroit in week two and is averaging 6.7 yards a carry and 11.1 yards per reception. He is very dangerous in space and the Cardinals will continue to try and get him in open space as often as possible. That's where he can inflict the most damage on opposing defenses.

For now Ellington is simply pleased to be making a real contribution for a winning team.

“It’s simple for me, I'm just excited to play in the NFL,” Ellington stated. “My role is really something I like.”